Bandipur -> Wayanad -> Kozhikode -> Guruvayur -> Cochin -> Periyar

+Previous: Kapped Beach
+Next: Cherai Beach
+Go to the beginning of the series

We continued driving south towards Kochi(or Cochin) the next morning. When we reached Guruvayur on the way, we decided to stop for a look at the large brigade of tuskers that the Guruvayur temple owned.

The temple is just a few minutes off from the National Highway. Once we entered the town, there were signs pointing to the temple at some turns, and some places we had to ask for directions. The temple parking lot also doubled up as garbage pile. We parked in slush, mud and garbage and paid Rs.20 for that precious parking area. As soon as we entered the temple complex, we realized that we may not find elephants anywhere here. The temple is small, has plenty of shops in the lane in front of it and has no space to host the giant pachyderms.

We stood in front of the temple entrance and inquired. A friendly and helpful traffic police officer who was manning the temple answered to us in a slow and precise manner.

“The elephants are in Anekotta. You go straight on this road.. you will get the highway.. After the highway you go two more kilometers.. you will find Anekotta. Elephants will be there.”

While my friends were making sure they got the directions right, I looked through the temple doors. It is a typical temple in Kerala, with a post in the front hosting an array of wick lamps, behind which is the door to the sanctum. The pillars of the temple are made of wood, and if I recall correctly, the walls have large windows made with plenty of wood. Wood used in the old temples of Kerala have remained intact for centuries, and I have often wondered how.

As we were speaking to the officer, a man wearing trousers and shirts and a lady in salwar-kameez were getting into the temple. A temple-worker alerted the officer, and the officer casually turned back and addressed them slowly:

“Pants.. don’t go. Salwar… don’t go. Only sari and lungi”

Having said that, he continued helping us with directions. Once we were sure where to go, we made no attempt to get into the temple and headed back to the car. The place with the elephants – Anekotta or Punnathur Kotta as it is called, was a 15 minute drive.

I have a fondness for elephants. Often when asked “What is your favourite animal?”, I have always named the elephants. They are giant beasts, but they seem to be soft, friendly and approachable. Baby elephants are especially affable and adorable. I have enjoyed a few nice moments with them, like meeting young Jogi in Rajaji National Park or a small family of tuskers in the wilderness of Bandipur. I have tested their patience in Corbett and found them very forgiving and accommodative. To me, they always seem to be calm and easygoing though they are known to turn dangerous at times. These giants are also known to be caring and protective for the members of their group in the wild.

Recommended Reading

The book Elephas Maximus by Stephen Alter is a great book to know more about elephants. It gives a common man’s perspective to elephants than a scientist’s outlook. He goes through India’s wildlife sanctuaries, reads through books that talk about the history of association of man and elephants in India, talks about conflicts in the nature, history and myths surrounding the elephants and many more interesting topics.

The book, spanning 303 pages in published by Penguin India

They have 30 or so elephants owned by the temple administration in Guruvayur. The elephants are decorated and taken on a procession during the festivals celebrated at the temple. Each one of them is a majestic male with long tusks, a variety becoming rare in our wilderness. When we entered into the premise, we were saddened by the state of these temple elephants. They are kept isolated and chained to trees such that they can’t move even slightly. There are two chains for each elephant – both tightly bound, with one chained to a front leg and another to rear, and their movement is completely restricted. It was difficult to understand why they had to be constrained so harshly. We could see and realize the disapproval and unhappiness of them when they tried hard move front or back without success, or when they shook their body very hard as if trying to move out – a behaviour I have never seen elsewhere. They seem to be well fed and cared for their health, but no one seemed to bother that they are also living being who would want to be free and do as they wish. They should have roamed the jungles of India free and lived a life of a dominant male in the group, but here they were, not able to move an inch away from where they were standing. I am not sure how the tradition of capturing elephants for the temple has evolved, but I can surely say that no lord would want his servants to suffer this way. Stephen Alter writes in his book Elephas Maximus on the Guruvayur’s elephants:

“…the Anna Kotta at Guruvayur is a depressing place. Instead of being able to swim in a river or wander into the forest to feed, the temple elephants are confined to their enclosure and each of them is chained except when being bathed. Resting against many of the tuskers’ necks were long spears that are used to control the elephants if they cause trouble. The concentration of male elephants also adds to the feeling of incarceration…

We did not stay for long in Guruvayur and continued on our way to Cochin. Somewhere on the way just before we were about to reach Kochi, we saw a deviation to Cherai beach and turned that way.

About Guruvayur

Guruvayur is located on the National Highway 17 in the stretch between Kochi and Kozhikode, approximately 100km from each of these towns. It is 30km away from Thrissur. Guruvayur has a railway station, and the nearest airport is in Kochi.

Guruvayur temple’s deity is Krishna in the name of Guruvayurappan. The main attraction for a tourist are the festivities in the temple which involves parading the temple elephants. See the temple website for more details. Non Hindus are not allowed to enter the temple.

Guruvayur is a decent sized town and finding some basic to mid-range hotel accommodation in the town should not be difficult on a normal day.

To be continued..